Let’s face it: A lot of businesses have been keeping up with Joneses when it comes to technology and web design, always trying to stay up with the latest trends. However, what are the non-negotiables that should never change despite ever-changing trends when it comes to your website?

Here are 5 top web design practices you should never compromise:

1. Focusing on Conversions

Designing your site with conversions in mind is one of the most important best practices out there. Your site should be focused on driving traffic which results in visitors taking specific actions. If you are driving traffic with your design but it is not resulting in sales, your design isn’t working. So no matter what web design practices you implement, always track conversions and use those results as a guide and gauge for success. Great tools for tracking conversion rate optimizations include A/B tests and Google Analytics.

2. Including Clear Calls to Action

As one of the most powerful tools out there to drive behavior, CTA’s (clear and concise) are and always will be your most effective and dynamic tool to get people to take the actions you desire. You may have the latest visuals and a beautiful flat scrolling design but with no clear instructions, visitors won’t do what you want them to do. You want your calls to action to be clearly visible, which means they should be placed in prominent spots throughout your site.

Tip: Placement and colors are two of the most important aspects that can make-or-break your CTA’s effectiveness.

3. Helpful Maintenance/ Error Pages

Ideally, your site should have maintenance or error pages that don’t appear too frequently, however, these things do happen so it is important to be prepared. In the case that you do have a page that results in an error, a good Error 404 page is as good as a second chance to re-engage a visitor when things go south. Witty and well-designed error pages sweeten the pill that users might have to swallow and can give them advice on what to do next.

4. Readable Typography

Is the font you’re using on your site readable? Sure it might look great at a glance, but when a visitor has to struggle to decipher every-single-word he or she reads, guess where their heading next? Away from your website, which is exactly what you don’t want happening. Logos and headlines can get away with a little more flashiness and creative flair, but if you want your audience to stay engaged, there are a few boxes that your font needs to tick. Your text must be spaced well, professional and easy to read.

Tip: Serif fonts are the most readable.

5. Streamlined Shopping Carts

Being that shopping carts are a crucial aspect of doing business online, they need to remain streamlined regardless of any design elements. The most important part, of course, is that customers go all the way through the checkout process. With abandoned shopping carts being a common problem, make sure it is easy for customers to complete their purchase. This means minimizing the amount of fields they need to fill out, making item lists clear, providing convenient, editing options, and shortening the checkout pages to as few as possible.

Tip: It is also helpful for customers to be able to save their shopping carts if need be and for you to remind customers who didn’t check out to come back.

At the end of the day, visual appeal is a big deal, but when it impacts your website’s functionality, designing with usability in mind is a much better approach. Remember that your site needs to drive conversions, have clear calls to action, include helpful error pages, be formatted in readable typography, and offer highly streamlined shopping carts to your customers.